{"id":131703,"date":"2023-10-06T11:35:43","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T11:35:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/?p=131703"},"modified":"2023-10-06T11:35:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T11:35:43","slug":"thrifty-couple-reckon-theyve-found-the-secret-to-living-in-london-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/lifestyle\/thrifty-couple-reckon-theyve-found-the-secret-to-living-in-london-for-free\/","title":{"rendered":"Thrifty couple reckon they&#039;ve found the secret to living in London &#039;for free&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SEC_174872831-11f2.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>A couple say they now live for \u2018free\u2019 after ditching their home for a canal boat and renting it out on weekends. <\/p>\n<p>Rosanna Irwin and her fianc\u00e9 Killian Connolly had been spending \u00a31,700 a month on rent and bills and were keen to buy a \u2018fixer-upper\u2019 property of their own.<\/p>\n<p>Despite a budget of \u00a3500,000 and spending six months scouring listings, they found themselves unable to afford a one-bed flat anywhere in\u00a0London.<\/p>\n<p>Exasperated by the tough housing market, they started to consider living on a boat.<\/p>\n<p>The 28-year-old wasn\u2019t interested in the idea initially, believing it\u2019d be \u2018tough and dingy\u2019. But after she and her partner explored the inside of one, she decided it was worth a shot.<\/p>\n<p>The couple bought a \u00a3100,000 boat, which measures 60ft x 12ft, last summer and haven\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n<p>The vessel is one long room divided into a laundry room, a sitting room\/kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom \u2013 proving to be a compact but multi-functional space.<\/p>\n<h2><i class=\"icon icon-exclaim\"><\/i>Latest London news<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Plans unveiled for \u00a3800,000,000 Las Vegas-style sphere in part of London<\/li>\n<li>Hundreds of drivers fined because ULEZ camera was pointing the wrong way<\/li>\n<li>Woman \u2018had hair ripped out in racist attack after asking woman to move her bag\u2019 on Tube<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk&#8217;s <\/strong>visit\u00a0Metro&#8217;s London news hub.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><\/p>\n<p>Rosanna claims they now pay \u2018ultimately nothing\u2019 as their loan repayments are covered by weekend Airbnb rentals \u2013 when they stay in their campervan.<\/p>\n<p>Even better, they manage to save around \u00a320,400 a year.<\/p>\n<p>Rosanna, currently moored in Hackney, East\u00a0London, said: \u2018We wanted to buy somewhere in\u00a0London\u00a0because we were sick of renting.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018After looking at apartments, we realised there was no way we were ever going to be able to afford one.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018One day we were out on the canal and we saw a canal boat go by, he offered us a look inside his boat.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><\/p>\n<p>\u2018For ages we had thought canal boats were a bit tough to live on and a bit dingy, but this was so gorgeous.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Living on the water, waking up and seeing the swans go by is pretty nice. It\u2019s really lovely and takes off a lot of stress, but the best thing is the amount of money saved.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Ultimately we don\u2019t pay any rent. We pay back a loan each month but it\u2019s much, much cheaper than paying rent.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was the only way we could purchase something of our own in\u00a0London, there was no other way.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro-parent\/img\/fallback.png\"><\/p>\n<p>They think their vessel is nicer than any one-bed apartment in\u00a0London.<\/p>\n<p>Rosanna said there are some less glamorous realities to boat living, though.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You need to be a certain type of person to live on a boat.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We don\u2019t have a kettle or toaster, I don\u2019t use a hair dryer or straighteners.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We just have a compost toilet, you need to be not-so squeamish. There are more jobs than a regular toilet, you don\u2019t just flush and forget about it. It\u2019s a separator toilet.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The lifestyle suits the pair as both work remotely, so they have the time and flexibility to move their boat as necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Canal &amp; River Trust tells boaters they need to move every two weeks (or sooner depending on the mooring sign).<\/p>\n<p>Along with their \u00a3100 boat licence, the pair spend just \u00a32,500 a year in total, including on insurance and fuel, and see no reason to live in a house.<\/p>\n<p>Rosanna said: \u2018We generally stick in and around\u00a0London\u00a0but we\u2019ve gone up to Watford and Stansted before.<\/p>\n<p>To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I think it\u2019s because they don\u2019t want the same people to be taking up the best spots in\u00a0London\u00a0and so it disperses everyone every two weeks so everyone has a chance at getting a nice spot.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018My friends and family definitely think it\u2019s quirky, everyone does come on the boat and realise it\u2019s much nicer than they thought it\u2019d be.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018My passion is tiny homes, I just find them so fascinating.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We live in a world where we have all built these massive houses for no real reason other than because they can.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I love seeing how much you can add into a tiny space. I love cabins, street houses and canal boats, they\u2019re definitely so much cosier.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/10\/06\/couple-living-in-london-for-free-save-more-than-20000-each-year-19617352\/?ico=zone-widget_home_lifestyle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A couple say they now live for \u2018free\u2019 after ditching their home for a canal boat and renting it out&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Thrifty couple reckon they&#039;ve found the secret to living in London &#039;for free&#039; 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